Ode to 80’s Horror: Re-Animator

August 17, 2016

Written by Capt McNeely

Georgia Division ZADF Twitter: @ZADF_ORG

Horror has never lacked for mad scientist tales, and the 80’s was no exception. One of the greatest and most classic of these 80’s tales is Re-Animator.

reanimator

Photo Credit: IMDb

 

Re-Animator is a good old-fashioned horror film. It has mad scientists, dead bodies coming to life, black cats, etc. It’s fun, it’s scary, and it’s completely deserving of this #Odeto80sHorror.

WHERE IT CAME FROM:

Because of it’s extremely classic themes and elements of Cosmic Horror it’s not surprising that Re-Animator is loosely based of a H.P. Lovecraft story: Herbert West – Reanimator.   Stuart Gordon (of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids fame, for all you millennials) co-wrote and directed this 1985 adaptation, produced for an estimated budget of about $900,000.

WHY WE LOVE IT:

This movie is FUN. If you’re into horror, this movie is a theme park. It’s tone, dialogue, and special effects all reach for you to have a ton of fun watching it- and it doesn’t disappoint.

reanimatorhead

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

 

Let’s talk special effects first: this movie’s effects are AMAZING. Everett BurrellAnthony Doublin, and John Naulin lead this amazing team in bringing lifelike and fun-as-all-get-out SFX to life in this 1985 film.

Along with the SFX comes the equally as awesome score done by Richard Band. You get to hear the intensity and hype of this enthralling score in the title sequence, which explodes onto the screen immediately following arguably one of the most exciting openings to a horror film ever.

Which brings me to the number one best thing about this movie: Herbert West as played by Jeffrey Combs. Combs plays West perfectly in this movie: he’s bizarre and disturbed, but also hilarious. One of the best moments in the movie is right after killing his nemesis (before his headless corpse is re-animated, of course) he wrestles frustratedly with the decapitated head, which refuses to stand up straight. The scene plays more like a Marx Brothers comedy at that moment.

potion

Photo Credit: Google

 

In fact, the greatest part about Re-Animator is that you’re never quite sure whether you should laugh or scream. The movie is so bizarre, so unexpected, so thrilling you’re never sure if behind the closed door there will be a joke or a monster: and sometimes there’s both! Especially in 2016, when horror has often become about depressing tone and disturbing imagery (Cabin In The Woods not included) it’s refreshing to sometimes just watch two grown-ass men wrestling a re-animated cat. Re-Animator is a fun horror movie, and it makes no apologies.

WHAT MAKES IT EIGHTIES-TASTIC:

Three piece suits and the glasses Barb wears on Stranger Things. 

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Photo Credit: Google

DeanHalsey

Photo Credit: Google

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tell me what other films you think deserve an #OdeTo80sHorror: @Magthecar

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